Hey there,

I’ve spent the start of Q4 in reflection— a place that is incredibly uncomfortable for me because, as a strategist, I’m often thinking in the future and answering the question, Where are we going? and then turning my attention to its cousin question, How will we get there?

But after I wrapped up my first round of Brand Clarity Lab (a first-time experiment!) and looked at my 2025 finances (FUN! 😬), I wanted to take some time to figure out what’s staying with me, what needs to change, and what’s getting thrown out completely as I head into the new year.

All of this sounds like a service problem, but it’s actually a brand problem. Because I’m currently living in the in between—where my work is now, versus where I want it to go.

A lot of entrepreneurship is finding a balance between what was and what will be. Call it what you want—the thick of it, the messy middle, the gray space—but the truth is a lot of us are always stuck in the between.

So how do we build a brand that reflects where we’re going (while honoring where we’ve been)? That’s this week’s issue of Brand Burnout. 🔥

A Practical Guide to Moving Forward

A lot of entrepreneurs I work with are living in some version of their in between. I say their version, because it can take on a lot of forms:

• Targeting higher caliber clients

• Increasing your rates (which means targeting a higher caliber client)

• Shifting niches (or niching down)

• Expanding services and offers (or eliminating services and offers)

• Pivoting into a new role

• Starting a new company under your bigger brand umbrella

The reason for the change is always a bit different, but the sticky stuckness that comes with it is something I see again and again. I’m constantly answering questions like:

• I’ve got two audiences—are these two different brands?

• How do I make this pivot without freaking out my existing clients?

• How do I talk about this work if I’m not actively doing it?

• How big a deal do I make about this change?

And unfortunately, my answer is always some version of “It depends!” And that’s true in all brand-building work. Because your brand is unique to the thing you’re building. What worked for someone else may or may not work for you. But here’s how you can identify the way you move forward.

Step 1: Look Back (At Your Audience)

In my not-so-humble opinion, everything starts with your audience. And while you may say, “This isn’t about my audience! It’s just a service change!” you’ve got to make sure you know who is buying that service to talk about the service.

Since you’ve already documented your ideal client personas¹ and have a client roster to match, think through what will change with how you engage with that audience—and if you’ll engage with that audience at all.

Ask yourself:

• Do I want my current audience to follow me through this change? Will they?

• If not, does this change mean a completely new persona?

• Or, is this a layer within my existing audience (think lower/higher revenue, complementary problem solved, etc)?

At the end of this review, you should understand if you’re targeting a new audience or if you’re shifting beyond or within your existing audience.

Step 2: Audit Your Current Approach

Now, armed with your updated ideal client personas, audit your current approach to understand what needs to change.

Ask yourself:

• Does my current message or content solve my new audience’s problem?

• Is my new audience utilizing the same channels as I currently am?

• If my new ideal client landed on my website/social profile/newsletter/insert medium here, how would they perceive the value of my work?

• Is there anything I can take away that my new audience won’t utilize or see value in?

• Are there any new tactics I want to add to better connect with this audience?

The goal for this step is to size up how big a shift this really is and ground in what actually needs to change.

Step 3: Identify the Incremental Changes

In some cases, you may be shifting so much that you need to overhaul everything (and if that’s the case, let’s talk about it).²

But in most cases, what you’re really experiencing is an iteration—not an overhaul. Take time to identify what small changes you can make to target this new audience. But these changes aren’t to your tactics—at least at first—they’re to your brand as a whole.

If you find yourself thinking, “I need to change my homepage copy,” shift your focus first to build your messaging foundations (who you are, what you do, why it matters, and the outcome of your work).

And if you’re teetering into “I need a new logo” territory, shift your focus to think about brand personality and attributes—what do you want your clients to feel when they first come into contact with your work?

And finally, before you add on a marketing channel or a layer of complexity, spend time thinking about how you communicate upcoming changes with your existing audience (this is the part about making sure your existing clients don’t freak out!).

Once you’ve documented the brand, you can move on to tactics and operationalize your updated brand across everything (your website! your LinkedIn! that podcast you’ve been dying to create)!

Good News, Bad News About Brand Iterations

The good news? You’re probably overthinking this.

The bad news? You’re probably overthinking this.

And not to say going through this process is overthinking it—it’s actually essential. But bridging the gap between where you are and where you’re going—that’s the part you’re overthinking. The options aren’t Do Nothing and Overall Everything.

The answer is somewhere in between—and luckily, we’re all used to living there.

Thanks for reading,

1  …right? …No? Okay, then start there.

2  Signs it’s an overhaul include: a name change, a complete offer change (i.e., going from B2B consulting to making popcorn), or you never did any brand work to begin with.